The pan-Northern socio-political organizstion, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), on Tuesday raised alarm over the raid by bandits on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) where two officers were killed, one injured and another kidnapped during an early morning invasion on Tuesday.
The ACF described the invasion of the premier military training institution as a slap and embarrassment to the entire nation, lamenting that the institution bequeathed to the country by the founding fathers of the North, had been handed over to “bandits.”
National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Emmanuel Yawe, noted in a statement that the invasion is an indication that Nigeria’s national security system was running on a reverse gear.
According to the statement, “the ACF first and foremost commemorates with the families of those who lost their lives during today’s attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy. These gallant men have paid the supreme price for Nigeria, their motherland. We hope their sacrifices are not in vain.
“The Forum is praying that the abducted officer will be rescued and the criminals who abducted him brought to book. The latest security breach is another embarrassment to the ACF.
“The NDA is a proud monument of the efforts of the first generation of Northerners who fought hard to bring development to the North; the likes of Muhammadu Ribadu, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Sir Ahmadu Bello who brought the Institution to Kaduna. They did not bring it here for our generation to hand it over to bandits or whatever we call them.
“This is an institution that is not only a pride of the North but a pride of Nigeria. Many African countries train their military officers here. It is really sad that ordinary street bandits will invade a military institution of such high national and international repute, outwit the security system and men there, kill officers and take one away to an unknown destination.
“We of the ACF are particularly sad because Kaduna is our home not only because our headquarters is located here but for a long time, even after the split of our Northern Region, Kaduna remained home to all Northerners. The NDA is a proud reminder of the achievements of our fathers. Is that how our present generation of Northerners will sit and watch as these legacies are destroyed?
“We of the ACF have said it again and again that there is everything seriously wrong with the management of our security. The other day a Nigerian Air Force fighter aircraft was shot down by the so called bandits. Today the factory where all Nigerian military officers are produced has been invaded and desecrated. What else do we need to show that our national security system is running on reverse gear?”